A “continuous” influx of illegal foreign fishing boats in Queensland waters coincides with at least two of the nation’s fleet of patrol boats being out of commission, the ABC reports.
Australian Border Force and the government are under pressure from Torres Strait leaders and Queensland politicians to stem the tide of boats illegally entering the nation’s waters.
Torres Strait Regional Authority chair George Nona, who worked in customs and border protection for more than 20 years, said he had not previously seen so many boats reach deep inside Australia’s exclusive economic zone.
“It’s an influx, and it’s just continuous,” he said.
“What we actually see is pretty unusual, especially coming way into [near] Thursday Island.”
He said the weakness of the Torres Strait border was a serious national security concern.
“If there’s anybody who wants to come from overseas into the country without a passport into this country, this is the gateway,” Mr Nona said.
Minister won’t reveal boat numbers
Border Force is without at least two Cape-class patrol boats from its fleet of eight as it responds to the flow of illegal incursions into northern waters.
The ABC has seen the patrol boats in Cairns, dry-docked on slipways where vessels are hauled from the water for maintenance works.
Federal Assistant Customs Minister Julian Hill would not reveal how many patrol boats Border Force had at its disposal, how many were out of commission, or where they were located.
He said to do so would be “telegraphing to our adversaries and enemies where they could go on a given day”.
However, Mr Hill said there was “nothing abnormal” about patrol boats being out of the water.
“At any given point in time… there’s always assets undergoing routine scheduled maintenance and repairs,” he said.
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